The Stars (3-5-0) last played Sunday, losing 6-3 at Anaheim. The Stars had a 3-1 lead after one period, but the Ducks scored five unanswered goals over the second and third periods.

“When we have a 3-1 game, the other team should have to earn it. They didn’t earn it,” said Stars coach Lindy Ruff. “They have good players and they made good plays, but we didn’t play well enough away from the puck to deserve to try to preserve that game or win that game.”

The loss was the fourth in the last five games for the Stars.

Goaltender Kari Lehtonen, who has missed the last five games with a lower body injury, is expected to return for Thursday night’s game. Lehtonen is 2-1-0 with a 1.57 goals against average and .953 save percentage this season.

The Flames (4-3-2) are coming off a 4-2 loss at Phoenix on Tuesday. The Flames managed just five shots on goal through the first half of the game and fell behind 2-0. They rallied to tie the game, but Phoenix center Mike Ribeiro scored the game-winner early in the third period.

"The first period, we didn't skate very well, I felt our energy level was not very good, we were not throwing enough pucks at the net," Flames coach Bob Hartley said. "The second period, we got going. I really liked our last 40 minutes. We gave ourselves a chance to win the game."

Thursday’s game against the Stars will wrap up a five game road trip for the Flames, who are 1-3-0 on the trip so far.

The Flames announced Wednesday that forward Sean Monahan will not return to juniors and will stay with the team for the rest of the season. Monahan, Calgary’s first round pick (6th overall) in the 2013 NHL Draft, currently leads the Flames with 6 goals.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club. Mark Stepneski is an independent writer whose posts on DallasStars.com reflect his own opinions and do not represent official statements from the Dallas Stars. You can follow Mark on Twitter @StarsInsideEdge.